Breaking point
by the.shadow.of.smoke
Summary: Everyone has a breaking point. And Miyu's just reached hers. Can't say much more without giving the plot away. YukiXOC. Rating T, subject to change.
1. Quick note

Mainly this is just a warning. There will be angsting. A lot of angsting. Also, a fair amount of violence. I don't really go into the violence too much; more, really, in the emotions, but the emotions get rough. Rating might change, depending on how deep I get into it. If you think there should be a different rating, please tell me, and I'll change it.

Also, this is not a story where the female lead is strong, independant, and willful. Not everyone is like that.  
So this goes out to those who aren't. Those who are just trying to survive, one day at a time.  
To the weak, emotional, and scared: Here's a heroine who's the same as you.


	2. One deep breath at a time

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. I only wish I could write something so good.**

**Also, for the sake of the story, someone saved Kyoko Honda way back when, so Tohru has her mom, is happy, etc., etc.**

**_Sometimes the healing is just as hard as the breaking._**

* * *

I breathed out lightly, watching my breath swirl to the sky in a haze of smoke. I was still alive. I was still breathing. I had beaten the odds.

Stuffing my hands into my jeans, I continued down the path; although it couldn't accurately be called that. It was more like the zig-zagging walkways of a squirrel, dodging bushes and tree roots and small animals. I hurried down the so-called path, it was the end of November and the cold was seeping into my bones. I needed to get to school soon, before I got even colder.

Not for the first time, I wished I had had the forethought to bring a sweatshirt, when I left. But I had none; I had outgrown them all. I had to leave it behind.

Although now, I wanted a sweatshirt, no matter how small it was. At least it would bring me some warmth.

_Just another mistake_, I sighed to myself. I always made mistakes. Mistake-girl. Girl-who-made-mistakes. Messed-up-girl.

I moved faster, like I could escape who I was if I just made it to school.

But it wouldn't happen.

It never did.

* * *

I was freezing by the time I got to school. I stepped inside the school's warmth gratefully. The heater blasted on me, warming me with a huge buffet of air. I shut my eyes for a second, and stood still, soaking up the heat. Winter was my least favorite month. The freezing cold, the ever-falling snow… I despised it all.

A student jostled into me, and I was banged to the side. Mentally yelling at myself for being such an idiot to stand in the middle of the hallway, I walked into the front office.

A woman was sitting behind a desk, typing and frowning at something in the computer. She didn't look up when I entered. Scared she would yell at me if I spoke, I coughed.

She looked up. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Turning red, I stammered, "Miyu."

"Last name?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I was so _stupid_! Of course she needed to know my last name. But I didn't tell her my real last name. When I had registered, I had given a fake last name. What was it…?

She was staring at me, waiting for my answer. How could I have made her wait? She was busy! I was such an idiot. Turning a darker red, I mumbled, "Ikeda."

She turned back to her computer, and presently the computer began whirring. Papers shot out of it, and she handed them to me.

"There's your schedule and a map of the building," she said curtly, turning back to the computer.

I stared at the papers. My first class was History. It was in D202, with Mayuko-sensei.

"Thank you," I whispered as I left. I didn't know if she'd heard me, she paid no attention. Outside, I berated myself for saying thank you. She didn't even hear me.

Cursing myself, I walked into homeroom, where I was stared at by a number of students, all curious as to whom I was.

My cheeks were heating up, and I stared and my sneakered feet.

"Oh, right, the new student," Mayuko muttered. "This is…" She checked her register. I still hadn't moved, it felt like my feet were glued to the floor. This was one of the worst things I'd been through, everyone staring, taking in my messy, curly black hair, ragged clothes, and heavily-made up face. I was no gorgeous supermodel; I wasn't witty or particularly smart. I had nothing going me. I was only here because law required it.

"…Miyu Ikeda," Mayuko finally said. Her voice changed slightly, more kindly. "Do you want to tell us about yourself?"

_She pitied me._ The realization came in a flash, and I flushed darker. I mumbled quickly, "Idon'tlikewinterorsnow." It was the first thing I thought of.

I chanced a glance at the classroom. Mayuko was leaning on her desk, still looking at me. "Sit behind Hanajima-san," she said, pointing to a goth-like girl, dressed entirely in black. She was sitting upright, not slouching at all, and staring straight ahead.

I moved behind her and set my notebook on the desk. I didn't have many notebooks, but I wrote in small print, I could fit all eight subjects into three and a half notebooks.

I'd survived the first five minutes. I could just take this five minutes at a time. Until finally, the bell rang…

* * *

It was 2:05 by the time my wish was granted. To avoid the pushing crowds, I waited until most of the students had left the room before venturing out myself.

The hallways had mostly cleared by then, so I nearly ran out to the outside, eager to get "home" and away from these people, all of which came to close to me, talking to me, brushing past me.

I was nearly out—

Oh. It wasn't empty. There was a large gaggle of girls, whispering and glancing at something. Every few seconds or so, they collapsed into giggles, and repeated the process.

I located the object of the stares, a normal teenage guy who was at the door, leaving school. He looked normal from the back, and I couldn't help but wonder what was so interesting.

A tall girl with long brown hair detached herself from the group, approaching the guy. "Hello Yuki-san!" she trilled, and he turned.

And then I knew why they were talking. He was the best-looking guy she'd ever seen, with gray hair and mesmerizing gray eyes. I blushed and looked away, even though he wasn't looking at me, and instead, at the brunette.

His smile was formal as he replied. I didn't pay attention to his words, what bothered me most was his smile. It was like he _wasn't_ smiling, not really, just moving his lips. It didn't move to his eyes, which while mesmerizing, were also strangely blank and unconcerned.

I _knew_ that smile. I knew that look. I had worn it, everyday for the last eight years. It struck a chord in me, and I was curious. I wanted something. For the first time in a long time.

But I didn't hang around. I didn't want to watch this Yuki smile so fakely. I knew that fake smile.

And I never wanted to see it again.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Please reveiw, pretty please?**

**And I'm sorry if this got a little confusing. It's my way of trying to make a mystery.**


	3. Losing

**Special thanks to Razorgaze! -hands cookie-**

**So whenever you need space, I guess it's okay, to be floating away, and feel nothing at all. -Astronauts, One eskimO**

* * *

I walked home. Even though it was freezing out, I couldn't bring myself to hurry. A sort of lethargy had taken over me, and now I could barely put one foot in front of the other.

That smile had shaken me. It was the smile I saw when I looked in the mirror. It brought me back…

And I didn't like 'back'. Back was painful. Involuntarily, my eyes shut and my legs stopped working. I wasn't here anymore, I was eight and one-quarters years old, coming home from school on a Tuesday.

_I opened the door, smiling to myself. I had gotten an A on my reading test, the one that Mommy had helped me study for. Our dog, Mogeta, a small cockapoo, ran up to me, barking madly. Giggling, I stooped down to pet him, and he rolled on his back obligingly._

_After a moment or so, I paused. Mommy wasn't coming to the door. Where was she? She would always come and greet me, and we'd talk about anything._

Maybe she had to go out_, I thought, and walked to the kitchen, Mogeta following faithfully. I wasn't tall enough to reach the counter, so I dragged over one of Mommy and Daddy's chairs to see._

_But there wasn't anything. I frowned. What could have happened?_

_Maybe Mommy was hiding. Hide and go seek once I came home. She'd hidden, and now I had to go find her. _

_Cold horror was washing over me, but I held it back. Of course she was playing hide and seek. What else could have happened?_

With a physical jerk, I dragged myself back to the real world. "What else, indeed?" I muttered to myself, picking my way through the bushes, rubbing my arms to hold back the cold.

I didn't want to go back there. And I _wouldn't_. Yuki-san or whomever he was couldn't make me go back. I was putting it out of my mind, not thinking about it anymore.

_I opened the door to the laundry room, Mogeta on my heels. The best hiding spot was behind the dryer. I looked, but Mommy wasn't there. _

Okay, then_, I told myself. She's probably in my room. _

_I wasn't going to panic, no, I wasn't, I wasn't. Mommy had to be fine. Had to._

_I ran up the stair, my heart beating wildly. Despite my brave words, I wasn't getting a good feeling about any of this…_

_I slammed open the door to my room, and checked under my bed and in my blankets. There was no one, except my old teddy bear, Berry. I had placed him under my bed because I was a big girl, now, and I had to keep him safe from Mogeta, who loved chewing on everything. _

_I turned away from Berry, now in full-force panic mode. Screaming over and over, "Mommy! Mommy!" I ran to her bedroom. I wasn't allowed in there, not unless Mommy or Daddy let me in. But I couldn't wait to see her any longer. I twisted open the doorknob._

No… I couldn't go down that road. That was painful… I had to protect myself…

I stumbled, tripping over a tree root, and crashing to the ground. Branches and leaves dug into me, and I squeaked in pain, slowly picking myself up again.

I shivered; the coldness of the ground had seeped into my bones. I crossed my arms over myself in an attempt to warm myself, but it wasn't working. I had to get "home".

I tried moving faster, but my thin shirt and too-short jeans weren't cutting it. I was shivering more violently, and all I could think of were the blankets I had at "home". How good it would feel to be warm again. How I would wrap myself in them, and then maybe fall asleep, because I was so tired.

I stumbled forward a few more steps, until tripping again, falling flat on my face. I turned over slightly so I could breathe, because I wasn't sure if I had the strength to get up again.

Maybe I could just take a nap here. I didn't _have_ to make it "home", did I? After all… I didn't feel that cold anymore. Just numbness. I wasn't warm, I wasn't cold.

I could get used to this.

_It was dark inside. I stood up on my tippy-toes to turn on the light._

_And the second I did, I wished I had never done it. _

_There was Mommy. She was on the floor, lying there as if she were sleeping. Mogeta moved toward her slowly, tail between his legs. I followed him, my mind stalling._

_I sat down next to her. My hysteria was gone, replaced by coolness. I placed my hand on her wrist. It was cold, and it felt so wrong. "Mommy?" I whispered, holding onto her wrist. "Mommy?" I repeated more urgently, shaking her shoulder slightly. _

_She had to be asleep, she had to be, had to be, had to be, had to be, hadtobe…_

_No, no, no! This can't be happening! I shook her harder, tears leaking out of my eyes. I shrieked her name, leaning against her stomach, sobbing loudly until I couldn't even make a sound. My fingers curled into her shirt, tears staining it as well. _

_She was so, so cold…_

As the memory washed over me, I couldn't summon up anymore tears. They were gone, I had used them all… or maybe I just couldn't cry anymore.

"Mommy…" I whispered, tasting the word on my tongue. It had been so long since I'd used it… My eyes shut slowly. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I couldn't cry.

My breathing slowed, and I gave up the fight. I wasn't going to fight for my life anymore. The universe had turned against me that day… I couldn't fight anymore.

I wasn't strong, not strong enough to hold off against this coldness that filled my body.

I struggled to open my eyes. If I was going to die, I wanted to see the sky one last time. Even if it was cloudy gray, I wanted to see the freedom.

I stared at it trying to experience it. My last experience… it might as well be of the sky.

I faintly heard a crunching behind me. That was okay. I was going to a different place now. It stopped, then started again abruptly. A voice assaulted my eardrums, "Hey— what—Oh, God—"

There was a face, blocking out my view of the sky.

The face from before. The fake-smile face. Yuki.

I shut my eyes.

_The police were here. They were standing around Mommy, talking officially and using words I'd never heard of. Stuff I didn't even think _were_ words, like, "suicide" and "zolpidem"._

_I wasn't paying attention. I had found something on the bedside table. It was an envelope. I was looking at it, but everything was written in scribbly letters, all joined together. I couldn't read anything… I had never been the best reader…_

_I picked up the envelope and left Mommy and Daddy's bedroom, and went to mine. I pulled out Berry from under my bed, and slid underneath there myself. As a second thought, I grabbed Berry and brought him in there with me._

_I hugged him tightly to my chest. He was always there for me, always smiling his goofy smile, a few stray tears staining his green, velvety ribbon. _

_Then I turned my attention to the note. I looked at it for a long time. Maybe when I was older, I could read it. Maybe Mommy had written something._

_Maybe she wasn't dead after all. Maybe she had been placed in an enchanted sleep, and these were the instructions to get her out. I stared at the words on the envelope, but I couldn't quite make it out. Sighing, I placed it above me, in the pinning underneath the mattress. When I learned how to read the scribbly writing, I would make the potion so that Mommy could wake up again._

I blinked slowly. I wasn't looking at the sky anymore. All I saw was a chin, and indistinct facial features. The face moved, eyes moving down to meet mine.

"You're alive," he breathed to himself.

_Not for long,_ I told him mentally.

_Not for all that long._

* * *

**Few notes: Zolpidem is a sleeping pill, the offical name of Ambien, I think.**

**And please remember, there are other alternitives to ending your life. If you need someone to listen, just message me, okay? No one should hurt.**

**Reveiwing is always appreciated.**


	4. Three Seasons

**Here comes chapter 3...**

**Kindred Wolf, thank you for the reveiw! Don't worry, there's more to Miyu than that. The suicide is just the cause of the effect... of the cause... of her? If that makes sense?**

**In the middle of September, we'd still play out in the rain - September, Daughtry**

* * *

_I floated in a dream-world, swallowed up by nothingness, until I wasn't sure I was real. I wasn't sure of anything. I might have been falling… but is it really falling if you never actually fall? Or is it floating?_

_I didn't know and I couldn't bring myself to care._

Shigure heard footsteps, and immediately burst out of his office, ready to scream and run to him. He was running out of excuses not to finish his manuscript, and maybe Yuki would have new ones.

"Yuki-kun!" he yelled, rushing at the teenager.

Then Shigure realized what he was holding, and his joy vanished instantly. His jaw literally dropped. A small, frail-looking girl was curled over Yuki's shoulders in the Fireman's carry.

"I just found her… lying on the ground… like she's dead…" Yuki said as he staggered to the couch. "Help me get her onto the couch."

Shigure, sobered now, helped Yuki get the mystery girl on the couch. She didn't move during the process, and if it hadn't been for the light up and down of her chest, Shigure would have she was dead. "What…" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Yuki responded, staring at the girl. "She just… I'll call Hatori."

_I stopped falling, stopped floating. There was solid ground beneath me, I could feel it with my feet, the plush carpet sinking in between my toes. I opened my eyes was a nearly blinded by the sheer color of the world around me. I shut my eyes, but couldn't bring myself to keep them shut. The world around me was so beautiful, so colorful… _

_I squinted my eyes. I couldn't see everything around me, but from what I could… it was paradise. A bright blue, cloudless sky, not a speck of white anywhere. A group of birds made their way across the sky in a V-shape, moving in perfect unison. Around me, trees were full and green, and I could see squirrels making their way across the branches. I looked down, and it wasn't carpet underneath me, no, it was thick green grass, completely weed-less. A slight breeze drifted through my hair._

_A smile grew across my face. This colorful world— it was mine to live in, mine to create, mine to dance in. _

_I moved across the grass, feeling the loving brush of grass on my bare feet, hearing birds trill happy, joyful songs in the world. _

_I opened my eyes wider._

Hatori came a half hour later. Brusque, he barely greeted the two men before getting to work. Yuki waited by the girl, watching Hatori work silently. Shigure left, knowing there was nothing else he could do.

There was a quiet efficiency to Hatori's work. They never spoke, Hatori doing his work and Yuki keeping silent vigil.

Finally, Hatori sat back on his feet.

"Well?" Yuki asked, unable to stand the waiting, while Shigure craned his head around the corner.

"She'll live," Hatori said shortly, "But there's so much wrong with her."

Yuki looked down at the girl as Hatori continued. "She's very weak and bruised, and has a slight cough. One of her ankles is twisted, she'll need to keep off of it for at least a week. And she's frail." Hatori frowned. "I don't know how she got this way without anyone noticing."

_Maybe no one cared enough to notice_. The idea was shared between the three, though no one verbalized it.

Hatori stood up. "Keep her warm, give her fluids, the usual." Hatori turned to go.

"Wait," Yuki interrupted.

Hatori paused in putting on his jacket.

"Akito doesn't need to know about this," Yuki said, looking for reassurance.

"No," Hatori agreed, opening the door. "Not yet."

The door slammed behind him.

_When I opened my eyes wider, I regretted it. The wind blew harder, faster, tearing my hair about my face in a tangled mess. The grass was losing its luxury, losing the healthy green it once had. The songs being sung vanished, replaced with a loud cawing, a cawing louder than I had ever heard. The flowers, once so vibrantly blooming, were fading, wilting, touching the ground. I turned my head from them, only to see a large maple tree's leaves burst into flame, turning dark red, burnt orange, and a murky yellow. Leaves fell, cascading into my hair, as I tried vainly to keep them out. The sky was darkening, clouds forming and hanging there, ominously._

_I didn't want this, I squinted my eyes as if that would change the world back, but it didn't. _

_There was nowhere else to go but forward._

_My eyes opened just a small bit more._

Yuki was slumped in a chair next to the couch, watching the mystery girl. Yuki'd covered her with a blanket, and at least now you couldn't see her ratty clothes.

Yuki thought he recognized her… but the name was slipping away, and he couldn't recall it. His mind turned to why she was like this. Did she even have a family? She'd been walking in the woods, and as far as Yuki could remember, there weren't any other houses farther out than Shigure's. Well, there were, but there wasn't a point in cutting through the woods to get to them, it was just longer.

His knuckle bit into his cheek, and he shifted his weight. She hadn't moved from her original position, not really. Some movement was better than none at all, right?

_Why had I opened my eyes? That world was so much better… compared to this one. The leaves dropped, crumbled and dirty, no longer beautifully on fire. They crunched beneath my feet, along with the dry, crackly grass. There were no birds, no animals, no sign of life anymore. I was in a barren wasteland. _

_The wind buffeted me from side to side, and I clung to the large maple tree, its branches bare and dead, but better than being pushed about by the wind. As I held on, I sobbed, tears streaking down my icy face. I shut my eyes, wishing I was back at the meadow. The meadow was safe. It was mine to be in._

_This was not mine._

_This world couldn't possibly be mine._

_The wind dug into my back, sending icy shivers down my spine._

"Yuki-kun," Shigure said from the doorway. Yuki lifted his eyes to meet his older cousin's. "Do you want take out?" Shigure was speaking quietly, but Yuki heard every word.

"Sure," he said, his mind not on the conversation.

"What do want?" Shigure pressed on.

"Whatever." Yuki's eyes flicked back to the girl's.

There was a long pause before Shigure spoke again. "You can't sit there forever, you know."

_She can't lie there forever._

It was nearing midnight, and the moon was a crescent in the sky. Yuki's eyes had shut, and he drifted in a dream world.

_As the wind howled and shrieked, there was one last desperate glance to the sky. _

_It had begun to snow._


	5. Introductions

Three things I want to mention before I start:  
Yes, I know the tent cliché is overused. I sincerely apologize. However, I've had writer's block lately, and haven't been able to think of anything else. XD  
And if any of you are wondering about Tohru, someone else yanked her back from the speeding car. So she still has her mother, etc.  
Sorry so long since the last update. Color guard has taken over my life. Literally.

* * *

**I should tell you know it's all I got.- The Introduction, Breathe Carolina**

* * *

I slowly drifted back into reality, my mind registering the warmth around me, the pressure of a blanket, the softness of a cushion underneath me. I inhaled deeply, and it was strange— the air around me was warm.

Was it summer? Had I missed all of winter and spring? I struggled to open my eyes.

My surroundings didn't make sense. Instead of my normal view when I woke up (the top of my tent) there was a ceiling, and four walls. Where was I?

I stirred, ever so slightly, trying to jog my memory. What had just happened? I was… walking home. Yes. And I was on the ground somehow… how did that happen? I tripped… that's right.

And then there was a face. I knew that face…

I shifted, sure that I could remember if only I moved so that the clouds didn't block my memory.

There was a grunt, and then a face appeared over mine.

I blinked blearily. I couldn't remember his name, but I knew I'd seen him before. Where…? There was a moment where we both just stared at each other blankly.

"You're awake?" he asked.

I simply stared back, unwilling to muster the energy to nod. Who was he? Where was I? Why wasn't I in my tent? _What was going on?_ Panic started to fill my veins, my pulse jumping, my eyes growing wide with fear. I edged away from him, sinking back into the pillows, trying, struggling to get away from him. He probably wasn't good. He'd probably raped me. Or beat me. One of them. Maybe both.

I curled my body inward, trying to protect myself.

He noticed this and backed off. He seemed to be struggling with himself. Finally, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Immediately my body kicked into gear, my mouth salivating and my head nodding, unconcerned about any danger that this teen might pose. He vanished through a doorway, and my entire disregard for danger abruptly vanished with him.

I shrank against the couch, curling into the fetal position. I didn't want to be hurt anymore. That's what I was doing. Making sure I wasn't hurt.

And I'd just failed.

It stung, like a barb in my side, to know that apparently I couldn't take care of myself. That I couldn't live alone, without any help.

Though, honestly, why was I surprised? I should have known that I couldn't do anything. I should have known I was worthless.

A man appeared in the doorway, and the breath whooshed out of me, fear taking over my every cell. _He_ was here, he had found me, and nonononono, I couldn't let this happen, nonononono. I pulled myself further back, yanking the blanket closer to me in a shield that I knew would never help, but I couldn't help but try. Tears sprang at my eyes, and I furiously blinked them back. I would not, I could not show weakness in front of _him_.

The man looked at me for a moment, while I was shrinking away. "The princess has awoken," he muttered to himself. His voice was strange, it was too low. It wasn't _him_.

Fear was slowly leaving my body.

He looked like _him_, though. The same dark hair, the same body structure. But as I looked more closely, the differences became more obvious. This man's face was wider, and he walked differently, with more of a slump. _He_ always walked ramrod straight.

I looked at him with large brown eyes, silently begging him to leave. He did, after a moment of staring. I dragged a blanket over myself, trying to protect all I had left of me.

The teenager walked back in. "Do you like pizza?"

I stared at him, unable to respond.

"I ordered some." He shifted uncomfortably when I didn't respond, and immediately I berated myself. He was just being nice—

…but I still didn't know who he was.

My question must have been clear on my face, because the teen introduced himself. "I'm Yuki Sohma," he said, moving to the edge of the coffee table. I shrank backwards, hating myself for doing it, but unable to stop myself. Yuki. I remembered now. Fake-smile. Smile-fake. He wasn't smiling now, not even fakely.

"You might have seen my cousin, Shigure Sohma. This is his house you're in." He paused. "I found you on the ground outside. Are you… I mean…" He stumbled over his words. "Who are you?" he asked, and winced.

He was shy too? "Miyu Ikeda," I blurted out before thinking. I blushed a dark red, pulling my knees in close to my chest.

"Why— Shigure, what are you doing?" Yuki's voice turned into exasperation, and I lifted my eyes from his face. The one who looked like _him_ —Shigure, I guess— was skulking in the doorway, a large, silly smile plastered on his face.

Shigure continued grinning, while Yuki stared back. "Well?"

His smile grew wider, and he left the doorway. "Shigure!" Yuki yelled, but Shigure didn't respond.

"That idiot cousin…" he muttered to himself. He turned back to me. "Um…" he mumbled, while I stared at him. The awkward silence grew longer as we both stared at each other, neither able to say a word.

Shigure drifted back into the doorway, and now it was the three of us, all staring at each other; me nervously, Yuki awkwardly, and Shigure cheerfully.

Finally, Shigure broke the silence. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked optimistically.

"I— I—" I stammered. I didn't know; all I'd done was wake up here.

"We found you outside our house. You'd passed out, so I carried you here," Yuki said quietly. "Why were you out there?"

They were mad at me. They were going to kick me out. They were going to hurt me. I clutched at the blankets even more tightly, managing to mumble, "I was going home."

I didn't miss the shared glance between Shigure and Yuki.

"Is your house nearby?" Yuki asked lightly.

"Yes…" I whispered.

Another glance. My nails dug into my palm, forming perfect crescent-shaped marks.

"This is all Sohma property, you know," Shigure said.

My face was heating up. "Oh," I murmured.

"How were you living…?" Yuki trailed off.

"In a tent," I whispered shamefully.

"Any reason why? Or just a whim?"

I didn't know who said it, but it didn't matter. Images cropped up in my mind, blinding me, bursts of color that blotted out my vision, my hearing. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, I was drowning in a sea of brown, I was going to die, I was going to drown. I heard myself whimpering but couldn't bring myself to care.

A sound came to my ears, but I couldn't identify it over the roaring waves that crashed in my ears. It took me several moments before realizing what it was— a doorbell.

Doorbell. Door. Run. Hide. Safety.

I bolted out of the blankets, blinking to clear my vision. There was the door. Yuki standing at it, taking a box. What was in the box? Doesn't matter. Run. Hide.

I could feel Shigure reaching for me, but I was too fast for him to take hold, adrenaline keeping me jumpy. I leapt over the table, knocked my shin into the wall, but couldn't stop. Not when the door was a mere six feet away.

I crashed into Yuki, knocking him into the pizza delivery guy, but I didn't care at the moment.

Half a second later, though, I did.

Smoke poured out from some unknown crevice, obscuring the scene. I choked, eyes streaming, brought to a sudden halt. I heard a shout, and another collision. I backed up against the wall, trying to turn myself into as small a target as possible.

But nothing could have prepared me for what happened when the smoke cleared.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, not much of a cliffie. But I wanted to end it here, so... Review please!**


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